One Cold Day
by Vanity Is Precious
Summary: Edward Cullen:21, recently divorced. Bella Swan:17 years with the innocence of a small child.A cold day in a forest unites these two and Edward has found a remedy for his pain, but it's bittersweet,especially when his better half isn't legal.Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**I hope you enjoy. Please leave a review with compliments or critiques. Thank you!**

Everything about my surroundings equaled my mood. Dark, cold, alone, isolated. Not even the birds with little care in the world managed to chirp. It seems the world was giving me today to wallow in pathetic self-pity. Hopefully it would be so gracious tomorrow.

As I drove, I thought of what had gone wrong, what had brought me down to this level. I admit that we were young when we got married; fresh out of highschool-18-and so in love… or at least I thought so. With an agreement with my parents to help us financially as long as school continued, we had a good life set up for us. Three years along, things started to get bumpy and now here we were. Here I was, 21 years and getting my first-and hopefully only- divorce.

I drove on slowly, slow enough that if I listened very closely, I was able to hear the crunch of gravel and stones and sticks. _She _was probably irritated right now, madly wondering where I was and what was taking me so long. That thought only made me decrease my speed.

But like everything else good in my life, I saw that I was running short on gas so I had to pick up speed unless I wanted to be stuck in that forest. It was hardly thirty minutes when I finally arrived at the house. Or should I say mansion? Not my mansion, of course, but it was only slightly larger than my own. The mansion, in fact, belonged to a family friend that I had known for nearly all my life. George Nelson.

George was a lawyer and had provided the wedding certificates for my wife, Daniella, and I, only three years ago. Ironically, I was coming to his house today to sign the divorce papers that would forever separate Daniella and I.

My car pulled into the driveway and I got out of the car, only to have the cold bite at me as soon as I stepped out. I could feel the heat leaving my body.

I zipped up my leather jacket and briskly walked to the door, my head bent against the wind the entire way up the winding driveway.

When the door opened for me, I was surprised to see George there instead of one of his butlers, but happy that it wasn't Daniella-but then again, when was the last time she opened a door herself?

George smiled as soon as he saw me, "Edward! Good to see you, buddy." I smiled back, though I doubt it was as welcoming.

"Finally. I've been wondering where you've been. What took you so long?" My smile faded.

I turned to see Daniella standing at the bottom of a curving staircase, holding a large glass of wine and wearing a skintight dress. Surprisingly, my heart no longer jumped at the sight of her.

"Ah, Daniella, haven't seen you since you slammed those divorce papers down. How are you?" I could _feel _the sarcasm in my tone.

She sneered, but avoided answering me. "Speaking of those divorce papers, let's get down to business, shall we?" That's where it got awkward. George pulled at his collar and silently nodded his head.

I faked a bright smile, "Sounds fantastic to me." No one spoke after that.

George's office was big, much like the one I had at home. He offered us seats to use while he went to get the papers and told us to take whatever from the mini-bar in the corner. I took up his offer. Now, I know no one should drink and drive, and I always abided by the law, but this was one time I felt that the law should be on my side.

"Should you be drinking Edward? Or did you have driver bring you here, who I want in the divorce by the way." Daniella's slithery voice made me grimace.

Bitingly, I replied, "Should you be sleeping with my colleagues, Daniella?" She pursed her lips, but kept quiet. That explains why I've been sounding like a moody, depressed cynic. It sure takes a lot out of you when you find out your wife wants to separate.

While I poured my drink, I silently calculated what I would argue for and what she could take.

I was on drink two of strong vodka on the rocks when George solemnly came back. Daniella took a seat quickly, while I sloshed my way over to the other large leather seat.

It was quiet for a moment before George spoke up, "So, where should we start?" Start? Where does someone start in a situation like this?

Of course, Daniella had an answer, "I think we should start with the house."

George nodded, "Okay, seems like a plausible place to start. Edward, what do you say?"

Daniella was probably thinking I would give in, knowing this is what she wanted most. And why not? I was nice, giving, honest, and obviously easily forgettable when someone was handing out free drinks in exchange for a little infidelity. "I want the house."

"What?" Screeched Daniella. "You hardly ever spent time there!"

I sighed, "Well, then that's why I want it. I can make some memories. Besides it's in my name." I smiled as I slugged down a large gulp.

Daniella huffed beside me, causing my smile to grow. "Fine, then I want the boat and the-"

"The boat? You have no legal rights to that, you know? Actually, you don't have many rights to anything. Hah. But since I'm such a nice guy-take it. When in the hell do I go boating anyway?" Daniella crossed her arms, satisfied.

During this exchange, George was furiously writing this all down. He was about to ask about something else, but I interrupted.

"Excuse me for a second. Daniella- why don't you take it all? Just give me my house, my cars, and my money and take whatever else you want. Happy?" She stared at me for a second, wondering if I was joking or not, then quickly agreed, hiding a snide tone.

"If you think that's best, but I do want some of that money." She clapped her hands together, which made her breast jiggle a bit, sickening. That was the last thing I wanted to see right now.

"Of course you want the money," I snapped, while tipping back my glass until I got the last drop.

George decided that, as the money did belong rightfully with to the Cullen family, and she was no longer a Cullen, she had no rights to it. But it was agreed that 10% would go to her. Not much when you consider what all was in the bank.

After the papers were signed and things were crossed and dotted, I asked, "Are we done here? My cars low on gas so if I get stuck anywhere, I don't want to be stuck there for long."

George eyed me wearily, "Yes, I guess were done, but Edward, are you sure you should be driving in your…condition?"

I shrugged, "Psh. Why not? Besides, it's not like I'll have much to crash into. But I guess I can sober up a bit." I looked over to Daniella, "Wow. That was enough to sober anyone up." I laughed for a few minutes while she fumed and George cracked a smile, breaking his lawyer getup.

Daniella glared, "Well, I guess I'm the only mature one here." Then she stood and said her goodbyes.

Back in the mini-bar corner, I poured myself another drink and George joined me. At around 5:45, George spoke up, "It's around time for me to leave now."

I was confused, "Leave? What do you mean leave?"

"Anna and I are going on a little vacation and the flight leaves at 7:30 so I should be on my way. We also gave the employees time off while we're gone."

"Oh, sorry to keep you George."

He laughed, "You know I don't mind Edward. God, feels like we haven't talked in forever. Sad that this is our reunion. But I did tell you that you never should have gotten married so young. I'm 26 and I'm not even married yet." George never looked his age and sometimes I forgot that he was years older.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, it's over now. Come on, let's go." We both shrugged our jackets on and left the warmth of his house and stepped into the sharp cold. "Hopefully my car doesn't die while I'm still miles away from everything."

"Yeah, same here, but you know, if you do get stuck and you aren't too far away, you can come back here if you'd like. The door's always unlocked anyway," offered George.

I smiled, an almost real one this time, "Really? Thanks, George." He smiled in welcome and we separated.

My Volvo was hardly warm and the leather interior was stiff so I cranked the heat to the highest. Funny, though, that even when I could feel my hands again, I still felt a chill throughout.

George left through the gate first, and when I was out on the road, I saw he was going in the opposite direction that I was. Better that the road was clear with my head buzzing like it was.

Even when I was drunk, or just barely buzzed, I was a good driver, though the trees were a bit more blurred than before and I didn't feel as bad as before. Actually, the only thing that reminded me I had been drinking was the strong smell of alcohol.

The ride back was much like the ride here, and I was surprised I remembered the way at all. I decided to be safe and drive nice and slow.

It wasn't until about fifteen minutes into the drive that I saw something unusual. Because of my slow speed, I was able to make out the outline of what looked to be an animal, curled up or dead. Being in the right mind as I was, I stumbled out of my car and walked slowly over to whatever it was.

From a distance, it did look like an animal of sorts, but up close, it was obviously a girl who was curled up into a small ball, with nothing but a thin jacket to keep from the cold and large black purse by her legs.

I cocked my head to the side, wondering how I should continue.

I silently stepped toward her. Once I reached her, I bent down slightly and got small glimpse of her face that wasn't covered by the hood.

She had rather full lips, in comparison to Daniella's thin ones they were huge. But these lips were also blue, much like her eyelids. Worried now, I found it in me to sober myself enough to gently move her jacket enough to see that her breath was still there, though accompanied by cold air. With ginger movements, I stroked her arm until her eyes twitched and opened.

For a minute, she just stayed looking at me then she gasped, sitting up and moving back faster than I though possible.

Her eyes were wide when she finally spoke, "Who-who are you?"

I tried to focus my dizzying vision and answered, "My name is Edward Cullen. Would you tell me your name?"

She nodded, "Bella. Bell Swan." She bit her lip as she looked around and I studied her from my distance. She looked young, hardly seventeen.

"Well, Bella Swan, can I ask what you're doing out in the middle of…here?"

"Um, I was, uh, hiking and I guess I got lost. What about you?" Definitely not legal yet, and a very bad liar but I didn't accuse her.

What was I doing out here? Be honest and scare her away, or lie? "Business trip." Lie it is.

"Oh." She bit her lip again.

"Do you need help or anything?" That shocked me. I used to be a very private person, and I probably would never have even stopped in the first place, but I guess things can change.

She studied me now for a minute, and I could see just how shy she looked, quiet. "Do you, um, have a phone with you?"

I reached into my back pocket and produced my phone. Dead. "Sorry, it's not charged."

Any sign of hope left her face. "Oh, then I guess no. Thank you."

I nodded, then got up to leave back to my car. However, I made the mistake of looking back. Her innocence pulled me back to her, an instinct of strong protecting the weak. "Listen, I have a friend who lives just a few minutes away from here. He has working phone's and everything so I could give you a ride over there."

She stared hesitantly at me, probably wondering if she should believe me. "You can trust me," I said and smiled, and this smile felt real.

She smiled back, though not with as much enthusiasm, "I don't know…is it a far walk from here?"

"About fifteen minutes, but considering the weather…"

She frowned, so I tried to make it up. "You can even drive if you want." My head continued to spin as I spoke.

"I guess it would be okay. Just promise you aren't crazy." She smiled, though there was a part of me that knew she wasn't joking.

"I promise. We should probably go now- you look a little blue."

"Blue? Well, I guess it's a change from my normal red. But you're right." She hesitantly walked over to my car and I followed.

Once we were inside, me in the passenger's side and her in the drivers seat, she put on her seatbelt, and I followed her example. Then, she placed her hands around the wheel carefully. I just got what she was doing when she started to carefully adjust the mirrors. "You have driven before, right?"

This time she did turn red, "Yes. But I'm still without a license and I just want to be careful…"

I laughed, "Great. One of us has been drinking and the other doesn't have a license. The cops will love that…" _Note to self: Don't drink anymore. It makes you look like such a jerk._

Bella's eyes widened, "You're drunk?"

I smiled, "Just a little bit. Now, just relax, Get yourself comfortable. Start the car, there your go."

Soon she was turning around and following my directions. Shortly, we were back at George's house.

"Is this the house?" Bella asked, looking slightly awed by the massive size.

"Yes, this is it. Ready?" She nodded and shut of my car. We then scrambled out of the car into the snippy wind which had little bits of snow already falling.

Bella huddled up into her jacket while I pulled mine in closer. Quickly, we walked to the front door.

In almost slow motion, I twisted the doorknob and opened the door. After a few seconds, no alarms went off, even when I stepped in and out of the house so I guided Bella in.

I shut the door so that no weather would find it's way inside. I led her into the kitchen and pointed to a sleek black phone on the wall, and then I left to the living room so she could have privacy.

After ten minutes had passed and Bella still hadn't come out from the kitchen, I went back to George's office and poured myself another drink. This time I took the entire bottle with me back downstairs and crept into the large living room, which opened up into a dark study. I knew this house like my own and didn't even have to look down to know about the step that connected the study to the sunroom.

In the sunroom, I sank into a wicker chair in the corner and allowed myself to wallow while Bella was still on the phone.

Every memory of Daniella burned like a newly lit cigarette but wouldn't fade as quickly as the smoke once it's put out. But the bottle helped. I was never big into drinking, but boy did this make everything so much easier to deal with.

I hadn't been keeping track of how long Bella had been on the phone, but I was alerted that she was on the room by a soft knock on the doorframe.

"Um, Edward?" Her voice was soft and faint, like she was trying not to wake a sleeping child.

Slowly, I turned her way, "Yes? Did you make the call you needed?"

She nodded, "Yes, thanks. I had called my brother, but he said that he wouldn't be able to come pick me up until tomorrow morning. I don't want to bother you or anything…"

I smiled to the best of my ability, "You can stay here if you'd like. I know George wouldn't mind. There's a ton of guest rooms. I'll show you to them." I was surprised at the coherency of my speech, considering my mind was spinning and slipping away.

Bella must have noticed the bottle, but didn't say anything, for which I was grateful. Anyway, I knew I wasn't making a good first impression at all.

Bella followed me up the long flight of stairs up to the second level, where I gave her a room to stay in.

As I was turning away, I heard her call out. "Edward?"

I looked over my shoulder, "Hmm?"

Bella smiled a small smile, "Thank you."

I nodded my head, "You're welcome."

"Edward?" She called out again.

"Yes?"

"Good night."

I smiled this time, "Good night, Bella. Call me if you need anything."

When I heard the door click closed, I shuffled to the room where I had spent many nights when I was younger. How many times had I crashed in that room? Too many to count, but here's another one.

**I really hope you enjoyed! Again, please drop a review, they are much appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, everybody. I am so sorry it's taken me so long to pop this little chapter out. But this was needed so that all the long, exciting chapters could take place. Either way, please enjoy!**

In the morning, I felt…horrible. Terrible. My head ached and my clothes were twisted all over. My hair was matted together, though it being messy was hardly anything new.

I scrambled into the bathroom, turning on the light before remembering just how much my head was pounding and then hurrying to turn it off. I searched all over until I found some aspirin and chased it with water.

I quickly showered before throwing on my clothes from yesterday, a white v-neck and jeans minus the jacket. It was on my way out of the bathroom that the rest of the consequences kicked in. Or should I say out? I folded over the toilet and anything I had in my stomach was dispensed. I promptly re-showered and brushed.

I left the room to go check on Bella, but when I knocked on her door, she didn't answer. I figured she must still be sleeping and left downstairs.

The light coming in from the large windows was white, probably an effect from the early morning sun. I squinted my eyes away from the light and made it to the kitchen. I shuffled around the room until I reached the phone and left a message at my office that I wouldn't be coming into work today…and maybe not tomorrow with all things considered.

It wasn't until I had finished leaving my message that I noticed the flashing number on the machine. I didn't know if I should answer or not. In the end I let it ring out, until the caller left a message.

Apparently it wasn't for George, but instead Bella. Whoever she had called last night was letting her know that they were on their way…

I looked at the clock and noticed it was already almost 10. I groaned, thinking about how wasted this morning had been.

On my way up the stairs, I was surprised when I ran into Bella. She stumbled and was about to fall when I reached for her thin wrist and caught her. "Steady there," I grinned.

Bella blushed a soft pink color, "Oh! Thank you. For letting me stay here, and all that, and for helping me." She stumbled over her words.

My grin grew, "You're welcome. Oh, someone left a message for you, I didn't answer though, just in case."

"Thanks," and under her breath she mumbled, "that probably wouldn't have helped the situation." I raised an eyebrow in question, but said nothing.

"Um, do you mind if I go call them back?" Her voice was almost shaky, like she was nervous to ask me anything.

I tried to give her my best reassuring smile, "Of course not. You remember where the phone is?"

Bella nodded, "Yes, thanks." And with that she scooted past me and into the kitchen.

I sighed, hating how my first impression of Bella had included me stumbling and drunk. Ugh. But it wouldn't matter for long, seeing how she would be leaving soon.

I skimmed around the house while Bella was on the phone, not sure what to do. I settled for flipping through whatever was on TV. As soon as I sat down however, my mind flew in a million different directions.

Once I left George's house, I would hopefully make it back to my house without much interruption. But what would I do then?

As Daniella had pointed out the day before, I hardly ever was at home. The realization of an coming home to an empty house unsettled me. I had grown up in such a loving family that the thought of being alone had never occurred to me.

That was something else I had to worry about. When I'd informed my parents of my divorce, they were anything but supportive. In their eyes marriage was an unbroken bond, and against there wishes, Daniella and I had married so young. The divorce only made their trust in me waver.

Right now, though, I still felt so misplaced about knowing about how empty my life was right now.

I was in a trance that was only broken by the sound of footsteps outside the room. I stood slowly and stepped into the hallway. At first I didn't see anyone, but then Bella rounded the corner with a shocked slight smile on her face.

At that moment, I could have honestly kicked myself. As she walked down the hall with a nervous skip in her step, I really saw Bella for the first time. I saw the curvature of her body. The more I looked at her, the friendlier her smile got, which only had to her face; Her lips, which I had already noticed were plump, now had a healthy, pretty color to them.

I shook out of a daze and turned away, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella frown.

What was I doing? Even though we hadn't had a chance to talk, I knew that Bella could hardly be 18 yet, so she was probably not even _legal _yet. Besides, had I not just gotten _divorced _yesterday? I inwardly sighed, why couldn't I just act like my normal self right now?

I once again turned to Bella, "Were you able to contact your ride?"

She smiled, "Yes, I was, thanks." That's when she started to frown, "But, well, I was on the phone with my brother and he said that there would be a problem with picking me up…"

I was confused, "Problem? Is there something wrong?"

Bella nodded, "Yeah, kind of a big one. He said that overnight it had started snowing and it just kept piling on…I haven't had a chance to check yet, but I'm pretty sure all the roads are blocked, especially considering where we are."

"Wait, _all _the roads are blocked? Oh no…" I walked over to the hall window and pulled the curtains apart, only to add proof to what Bella had said.

The entire window had been plastered with snow. I turned to Bella, who now looked absolutely worried before going to the entrance. There, I opened the door, only to be greeted by thick white snow covering the entire entrance to the house.

With a nervous expression on her face, Bella turned to me, "What are we going to do?" Her small voice sounded defeated. I knew where that came from, but she looked ready to break down any minute so I had to look self-assured.

I gave Bella a small smile, trying to comfort her, while I calculated things over in my head.

The snow outside was so much that it had managed to seal off any exit, and I doubted that even if we made it outside my car would be able to push through.

With an exciting nervousness, I faced the realization: We were trapped.

**A/N: Comments, praise, critiques? Drop a review. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's chapter 3; please enjoy! And thanks to my fantastic new beta, **_**ihatejacob1 **_**for being so helpful!**

EPOV

Thoughts zoomed around in my ahead as I tried to think of a way out of this whole trapped issue. No matter how hard I thought, I came up empty. Sighing, I turned to look at Bella who was frozen with shock. I couldn't blame her.

"Bella," hearing her name seemed to snap her out of her trance and she stared at me, alarmed.

"It's okay, Bella. We'll find a way out of this. We still have the phones on so you'll be able to call your family." She nodded, a tiny ounce of hope building in her eyes.

I strode over to the kitchen for the phone, but it seemed my words had jinxed the

situation; the phone that had just been blinking with messages was no completely off.

Despair settled into my heart as I turned to Bella.

"We'll try the other phone lines. Don't worry," I said, giving her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

Bella nodded, "Who's worrying?" she replied with a shaky laugh. She was a horrible liar.

With that, I ran upstairs and Bella followed suit, checking every phone line, though we both somehow already knew, it was hopeless.

An hour later, after trying everything electrical in the dictionary, I flopped onto the

couch, groaning with a headache raging mercilessly in my head. This had to be one of

the worst situations I'd been in, and I could only imagine how much worse it was for Bella, hell she probably thought I'd done this on purpose.

I closed my eyes, trying to formulate some sort of plan to help get us through with this. I only looked up when I heard pacing and got up.

Bella walked across the hallway, back and forth, worry dominated eyes and expression. "Bella?"

She looked up, and smiled tightly and I could tell that she too had be thinking hard.

"We're stuck, aren't we? Like stuck, stuck?" She asked, quietly.

I quirked an eyebrow at her choice of words but said nothing about it, "Yes, we're stuck…I'm so sorry. Truly, this is not what I intended in the least."

Bella laughed, short and hysterical, "Me either. But don't feel sorry. Instead I should say thank you. I mean, if you hadn't, you know, picked me up and all…" she trailed, off shuddering. Oh dear God I didn't even want to entertain with the idea of what would have happened to her if she ha still been out there.

"Well then, you're welcome." Speaking of which, she was probably hungry and even though this wasn't my house, I was brought up to be a helpful host.

"Would you like something to eat? I don't know when the last time you'd eaten was…"

Bella responded quickly, "Yes, that'd be great. Do you need help cooking? It's the least I could do, anyway." And Bella perked up at the idea of being in the kitchen. She sounded relieved I'd spoken of food.

I was wary about whether she was in well enough condition to be walking around all over, which confused me; I'd never been too protective of anyone but anyone in this situation would feel the same right? Take in a kid who had been out in the snow, a kid who just so happens to look very gorgeous and mature…right? Ah I'm going to hell aren't I?

"Why not?" I smiled, "Anything in particular you'd like to make?" I was sure George's kitchen was stocked, but I wanted to make sure Bella had everything she needed, to

express herself, this was the first time she'd really let her guard down.

Bella paused for a moment before responding, "Something simple, but don't worry, you'll like it." It was the first time I'd seen Bella seem comfortable with something in the time I'd known her, granted a short time, but the sentiment was the same.

I grinned, "I'm sure I will. Sure you don't need help?"

Bella smiled and bit her bottom lip, Daniella used to do that all the time, which I used to

find attractive, now should have been illegal "I'm sure, remember, it's the least I can do."

I waited for a moment before turning on my heel and leaving the kitchen.

I settled back into the guest room I had slept in last night, the one that had so many memories etched into it from my childhood. Though the house was George's right now, it had belonged to his parents and he inherited it when they had passed on, which was only a few years ago.

So many nights had I slept over here, along with Alice, my younger demon of a sister. I

smiled back memories of us as small children, all the way up to our teenage years.

My teen years had been the most life altering for me, like so many others. But they seemed so special, because that's when I had met Daniella. She was perfect in my eyes;

beautiful, smart, funny. And she seemed to fit in so well with my family.

Damn, I had been so blind to her schemes. So blind that I'd been adamant to

marry her at such a young age. When we had announced our engagement to the family, everyone was shocked. We were so young, they said, too young to be making choices as serious as that. Even Alice sensed something wrong with the whole thing. I should have known. Alice is always right.

But I'd been blinded by my love for Daniella, enough to not see the lies and deceit. Her words from yesterday morning struck me and I grimaced at the truth. I hardly was ever at the home my parents had purchases for us as part of the deal, but because of that deal I had to continue with medical school…I guess she got too lonely.

I sighed, sinking back further into the bed, letting my mind drift off and finding a sort of peace, if only for a few moments.

I'd only been asleep for a few moments before the most wonderful smell seeped over me and I shot up in bed.

Confused for only a moment before I remembered Bella had been downstairs, cooking as a way to repay me for picking her up, an action that was shocking to me. I walked

downstairs and into the kitchen where I smelled the scent from earlier, but now more concentrated and delicious.

I stood at the archway of the kitchen door, watching as Bella put the final touches on her breakfast masterpiece.

Carefully balancing the two plates and a pair of glasses in her hands, I thought I would help her and carefully made my way over. She apparently didn't hear me because the plates flew from her hands. Before they could touch the floor however, I kneeled to the floor in time to just barely catch them.

Bella's eyes widened in shock and awe, "Great reflexes," she complimented, smiling, it sent shivers down my spine.

I grinned, "Thank you, and what a lovely breakfast you've made."

She blushed at my praise, "Told you, something simple," she replied shrugging.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "We must have very different definitions of the word simple, because I doubt that if I had cooked we would be eating nothing more than cereal and toast.

Bella blushed again and set down the glasses and the island in the kitchen. I pulled up to stools after setting down the plates. I climbed on to my seat and waited until Bella had taken a bite before scooping up my own forkful. _Delicious_.

The silence surrounding as we ate grew uncomfortable and I realized that we still knew hardly anything about each other. I had no idea how long we'd be stuck in this house together, but I did know that I wanted Bella to be comfortable while we were here.

I decided to open the floodgate, "Would you please answer me a question?"

Bella swallowed before answering, "Of course."

I struggled with how to phrase it, and came out with, "Why were you there when I found you?"

Bella seemed to freeze on her seat, and her fork dropped, I mentally slapped myself. Too

personal, I shouldn't have been so upfront. Jackass.

"Bella, I'm sorry-" but she shook her head, silencing me.

"No, it's ok, Edward," and as much as I hated to admit it, hearing her say my name _thrilled_ me, "but it's a very long story, and I don't know if you really want to hear it…"she trailed off, unsure of herself again, she fidgeted uncomfortably.

I chuckled lightly, trying desperately to lighten the mood, "Honestly, we have nothing but time right now, Bella. If you aren't comfortable however, you don't have to tell me anything, I promise."

Again, Bella shook her head, "No, it's the opposite actually. That's what I don't get."

"The opposite?" I asked, confused.

Bella blushed slightly before she started, "Edward, think about this whole…situation. We hardly know each other. Our first impressions weren't exactly the best they could have been and now we're stuck in the house of someone I've never met. Not exactly the most normal of situations."

I frowned as I took in what she said, knowing that she had felt so negatively about being around me, but again, who could blame her?

"You're right, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me anything, Bella, honestly." I reached across the table and lightly placed my hand on top of hers, her hand was soft, like silk, I brought my eyes back up to stare into her eyes, trying to tell her 'you can trust me'.

Bella, seemed to be frozen, but in a different way this time, she seemed in a trance. "That's just the thing. This isn't me; I don't tell people I hardly know anything personal about my personal life. But there, see that? I just told you something else personal." She seemed to laugh at herself.

I winced, did I make her do things she didn't want to do? That was a step in the wrong direction. "Is that a good thing?"

Bella laughed, a beautiful sweet laugh, "That's just the thing. I don't know if it's exactly good. But, I know it isn't bad. It's just that, we hardly know each other." Her eyes bored into mine, holding some deep emotion.

Those words and her eyes were soothing, but I still wanted to ease her, make her feel

comfortable around me. To trust me. "Hm. Then why don't we get to know each other?" I meant what I said honestly, but I couldn't, for the life of me, help but think about just how much I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to know her childhood dreams, her favorite foods, music, even…past relationships.

Bella seemed to brighten at that idea, moving forward in a way that pushed her chest up, enhancing her chest and she bit her lip in such a sinful way…

God help me.

**A/N: I very much hope you enjoyed. Leave a review? Please and thank you! :))**


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all, thank you all SOOO much for reviewing and I know it's been a long time since I've uploaded any new chapters, and I'm really sorry about that! So, here's chapter 4, I really hope you enjoy!**

Breakfast with Bella was a quiet event. Although she had seemed comfortable enough with me last night, I wondered if in the light, I seemed different to her, more like a stranger when I was able to form coherent thoughts. Perhaps she seemed less vulnerable across a dark hallway, further away from me, than at a round, open kitchen table in the light. Somehow the thought that she was uncomfortable around me upset me. A sense of unease bloomed in my chest at the thought of her feeling unsafe or unsure around me, and considering how thick the snow had spread itself around the house, the amount of time we would be spending here alone was unconceivable, and the thought of us being two strangers in such an enclosed space made me feel awkward. I had to break the silence, be the first to reach out. But I had absolutely no clue where to start.

I cleared my throat, a noise that seemed to startle her, which put us both on edge. "Sorry," I mumbled.

She half-smiled, "It's ok. So…"

I repeated, "So…Bella, tell me about yourself."

She blushed; a reaction that I've noticed is quite common with her. "Well…what do you want to know?"

She seemed hesitant to be talking at all, so I tried to ease her into conversation. "Well, I know your name is Bella, obviously. How old are you?"

She bit her lip, "Seventeen. How old are you?"

I chuckled, "I'm twenty-one." Her reaction was not what I had hoped for; she looked shocked. Did she consider me old in her mind or something?

With wide eyes, she asked, "You're twenty-one? I thought…" she trailed off, leaving me curious.

Smiling, I asked, "You thought…?"

"It's nothing, honestly."

I turned my head to the side, "Tell me, I honestly doubt what you're thinking will upset me. I promise."

She seemed to be weakening, "Well, it's just that, you _do _look young, but you seemed so…mature. Wise, in a way, but like you've been through a lot, I guess."

My jaw clenched. Okay, maybe there _was _something she could say that would bother me a little. But it wasn't that she thought I looked older, because, truly, it didn't matter how others perceived me or my appearance, but that she so easily read my face, looking past my smile and into my eyes.

I heard her sigh, "See. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry."

I snapped out of my thoughts, looking at her and noticing how she looked sincere, "No, no. It's not that, I was just thinking." My voice trailed off at the end, and the room once again had that tension.

She still looked worried that she had upset me, "Are you sure?"

I gave her a small, quick smile, "Truly, don't worry about it. Now, where did we leave off…?"

Bella and I spent the whole morning learning about each other, and I felt that we had quickly become friends, no matter the age difference. One thing I noticed, however, was the fact that we had skirted around talking about why we were _there. _Why had I been driving towards the exact place she had ended up after what she called "the worst night of my life, seriously"? I chalked it up to a coincidence, but I was unsure of Bella's view. I pushed that thought to the back of my head, and, smiling, cleaned up the kitchen.

While cleaning, I realized that Bella had made a silent exit, which gave me time to linger on my thoughts, but also left me with just an echo of the good feeling she left me with, when in reality I wanted her whole presence around me. That thought shook me up, leaving me with a mix of thoughts in my head that I filed away for the time being.

I went over to my guest room and went through all of my stuff in search of my small phone charger, to no avail. I wondered if my coworkers would somehow know to reach me here, which I doubted. But somehow, the thought of being so isolated filled me with a serenity I hadn't felt in a while.

The rest of the afternoon I spent alone, trying not to bother Bella. By the evening, however, I couldn't resist, and went searching for her. Finally, in the large library, did I locate her, but seeing a peaceful smile on her face kept me away. I quietly left the room, and went back to the sunroom. Thinking of nothing else to do, I poured myself a drink and then went back to my room.

Sitting in a large armchair in the corner of the room, I again felt the spin of emotion as I lost myself in my thoughts, losing myself. As thoughts I'd hidden away crept back up to the surface, I started to feel nauseous.

Last night, all my thoughts had centered on Danielle. And while most of them were about her tonight also, a few about Bella came to mind, and I couldn't help but smile. But as I continued to drink, I couldn't help but feel hopeless in knowing that she probably still thought of me as a strange, "old", guy who drove alone in the middle of the woods. But somehow, I slept easy that night.

In the morning, I noticed the air carried a harsher chill than it had the day before. Being shirtless with only drawstring pajama bottoms, I should have been thinking to properly warm myself. But my first thought was if Bella was cold, or needed something. And _that _was a weird thought. No, it's not, I corrected myself. In my mind I justified that I was only trying to play the role of protector, but I couldn't help but think that something was off about me…

After washing up, I was going to head downstairs when I saw Bella just coming out of her room.

She seemed to brighten when she saw me, "Hi, Edward. Just getting up too?"

I laughed once, lightly, "Yes, did you get a good sleep?"

For some reason, this made Bella blush intensely, "Um, you could say that."

Her reply made me curious and I was about to comment when she interrupted me, "Do you want some breakfast?"

Still a little confused, and slightly nauseous from last night's activities, "No, I think I'll skip out on breakfast this morning, but help yourself."

"Oh no, I'm not really hungry."

I raised an eyebrow, "Alright, so what should we do? We have, oh, about…a few days to waste," I teased.

Bella giggled, "Oh, I don't know. TV's out of the question, obviously. Got any board games?" She smiled.

I bit my lip thinking, "Hm, I think I can find us a few. I'll look for the games and you can get a spot ready?"

"Sounds good," and then she left the room, smiling.

I had managed to find one game - Twister. Great.

I found Bella in the more casual living room, where she had cleared out a round coffee table so we would have plenty of room. Smiling still, Bella looked towards me, "Find a good game?"

Smirking, I replied, "Just one. Is Twister fine?"

As soon as the word "twister" fell from my lips, I swear I could see Bella's face go pale. "Bella, are you alright?" Trying to relax her, I tried to tease her a little, "Worried you're going to lose, Bella."

She seemed to regain herself when she replied, "Oh no, I've won my fair share of board games, so don't you worry about _that_." She was smirking now, and I would take that as a good sign.

Her rapid mood change confused me, and I couldn't help but notice just how _beautiful _her smile was. My eyes focused on her again, and I was surprised to see her doing a small series of stretches. I felt so guilty, but I couldn't help but to notice how lean her body was, but also how curvy she was…No, stop! For Christ's sake, she wasn't even _of age_! But something in me just couldn't stop _noticing._ Oh god.

Trying to regain some of my composure, I took in a deep breath and tried to lighten the mood, "So what makes you so sure you're going to win there, Bella?"

She giggled, "Oh, only because I've been in gymnastics pretty much my whole life. I'm _really _flexible."

Oh god- _kill me now._

**I hope you enoyed this chapter! If you did, maybe drop a review? ;) **

**See you next chapter!**


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